AWAKENING IN THE DARK
by desktop dragon
Summary: Tribute to the story Happy Anniversary by All about Eric - following Sookie after she has been turned into a vampire.


**I have been reading the stories of the fabulous writer "****_All About Eric_****" in particular I enjoyed ****_Happy Anniversary_**** – All about Eric's take on what would happen if Sookie chose to be turned, a very touching and a lovely story, with bags of potential to be expanded on, which after talking to All about Eric privately has inspired me to write this, I am nowhere near as good a writer as All About Eric and so I would say this is more of a nod to her and her wonderful and far superior writing.**

**I have set it the day after the ending of All About Eric's story ****_Happy Anniversary_****, and it is my take on what happened next.**

**I do not own Sookie Stackhouse/Southern vampire stories or their characters what I have written is a tribute to the original characters belonging to Charlaine Harris and the idea of Sookie becoming a vampire which was put forward by All About Eric.**

CHAPTER ONE

It is evening and I have just awoken on my 3rd day (or night) as a vampire, Eric is sitting waiting for me again with blood I grasp it greedily and drink.

"Eric" I say warily

"Yes my lover" he looks at me with those gorgeous blue eyes.

"Can we go out tonight?" I ask I have not left Eric's (or should I say our) house since I was turned not that I am complaining there is no way I have been bored, but I can't help thinking I would like to leave the confines of this beautiful house, I want to be with other vampires.

Through our bond Eric can sense my restlessness and nods his head, "Of course, I have been selfish and greedy I have wanted to keep you to myself we will visit Fangtasia tonight and I can show my beautiful wife to everyone!"

"Eric will I be expected to work in Fangtasia?" I ask

"If you wish to – I won't have you working as a waitress, as you did for the shifter you are my wife, my consort, so you will not be waiting tables the humans I employ do that, but you may be a presence in the bar, however, for now I will accompany you, you are a baby vampire and will have to learn control over your hunger for blood, it will be difficult with so much fresh blood in the building I will be there to help you"

I nod carefully, Eric had explained the hunger to me, and how it can be overwhelming and many new vampires had been known to lose control in the presence of humans. I finish the blood he has brought me and I get dressed. I am feeling quite nervous actually as I reach for my coat Eric smiles indulgently.

"You won't need that coat any more my sweet, you will not feel temperatures like humans do, but if you wish to wear it I won't stop you"

I look at the coat and gently lay it down on, I look at Eric.

"What is it?" he asks concerned.

"Its just I have so much to learn...the little things which I don't know and I'm pretty sure there are huge things as well" I suddenly feel anxious.

Eric takes me in his huge arms and kisses me, "That is why I am here my love, I will guide you, teach you and you will learn and you will be a superb vampire, but one thing my sweet don't tell anyone and I mean anyone about your gift, I have put word around that you lost it when you were turned, that it died with your human self"

I nod, "Not even Pam?" I ask, "After all she is my sister now" I add

Eric hesitates, "We will talk to Pam privately and make her aware of your erm...improved gift, but not yet"

I nod again, "Whatever you say, you know best" i say quietly.

Eric smiles at me and kisses my forehead, "come, let me take my wife out!"

As we walk into Fangtasia the whole club falls silent, the humans are staring at me, on Eric's arm and the vampires move towards us, Pam approaches us "My sister" she says and smiles at me, vampires don't do the whole touchy feeling thing so i am surprised when she grips me in a hug, I respond and she pulls away and smiles again encouragingly. Eric leads me over to a booth and gestures to the seat, I sit in and he sits beside me.

"Ok?" he asks looking closely at me.

I nod, I must admit I am feeling an overwhelming rush of sensation, my heightened sight, smell and hearing are making everything seem so much clearer. I look towards a table of young human men watching us and whispering, I can hear clearly what they are saying i can hear their blood pounding through their veins and I get the overwhelming urge to move closer, my hunger rising.

"Sookie" I feel Eric's hand on my arm and hear the warning in his voice, and through our bond I feel him, calming me and soothing me. I look at him, he nods and smiles, and turns to Pam who clicks her fingers a human waitress appears quickly with a warmed bottle of Trueblood and I grasp it and gulp it down, the metallic taste is unwelcome but it stops the craving somewhat.

"Better my darling?" Eric says soothingly I nod.

"What happened?" I ask

"Your heightened senses were bombarded and you nearly went into a bloodlust" he says matter of factly, "It is quite normal, it proves you will be a good and strong vampire"

"So if you hadn't been here I would have killed and fed on them?" I ask nodding towards the table of young men.

Eric nods, "My darling you would have drained every human in this club".

"Oh" I say yet surprisingly I don't feel uncomfortable with that thought,

"Why doesn't that shock me?" I ask

"Because you are a vampire, when you were turned you lost your humanity, at this point you see humans as food and a source for your survival, this phase will pass after your first year, you will learn to control that feeling and in time you will be able to be with humans without feeling the compulsion to feed from them".

I nod taking in everything he is telling me, I look towards the bar, I see Thalia staring at me as our eyes meet she nods at me and I nod back, I risk a quick peak into her brain, and am astonished by what I hear.

She is wary of me, not afraid, Thalia is afraid of no-one, she dislikes humans but I know she has always tolerated me because of Eric, but now I see a grudging respect, now I am a vampire she sees me as something more than I was before. I grip Eric's fingers tightly.

"What?" he asks

I look at him and think hard trying to tell him what I have heard without actually saying anything. He stands and leads me to his office and closes the door.

"What is it?" he asks, "I felt you were shocked and I got feelings of Thalia what is it?"

I am mindful that his office isn't soundproof and vampires have exceptional hearing. I pull him close and whisper in his ear, "Thalia was looking and nodded at me, I couldn't resist having a look you know, well she respects me, it just surprised me that's all" I say lamely.

"i will tell you something now, but as your master I command you never to speak of this to anyone or to repeat it to me when we may be overheard, do you understand?"

I nod

"Say it" he commands

"I understand master" I say without thinking, hey I called him master without realising.

"Thalia has respected you for a long time, she has watched you and although she did not approve of my relationship with a human to begin with she came to see how special you were, and how loyal you were to me, now you are ...one of us, she respects you even more, she thinks you will be a great asset, and believe me that is higher praise than you could possibly imagine"

"Wow" I say "I would never have thought it"

"I know, but it goes to show what an exceptional person you were and what an exceptional vampire you have become" He strokes my cheeks affectionately. He turns and holds out his hand "Shall we?" he says, I nod and take his hand and follow him back out into the bar.

We resume our places in the booth, I watch the humans – Its funny I should think like that, I was one of them until a couple of days ago now all I see when I look at them is a walking all you can drink buffet and every so often I see Eric nod at Pam and immediately a waitress is summoned and a bottle of Trueblood is placed in front of me.

"I'm sorry" I whisper, "I am drinking all the Trueblood, I must be costing you a fortune"

"Don't apologise my darling, you are behaving quite normally for a new vampire and it is my duty and my honour as your maker, your master and as your husband to help you though it and you can have every bottle of Trueblood in this city if you need it"

I smile and gently squeeze his fingers. I gulp back the Trueblood and wipe my mouth, as I look towards the door, I freeze as I see a familiar figure enter, Eric follows my gaze I also feel his tension rising as he lays eyes on Bill Compton.


End file.
